


bloom.

by kaoiyia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Minor Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Secret Relationship, Sibling Bonding, Soft Claude von Riegan, Soft Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, edelgard is worried, no beta we die like Glenn, protective edelgard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23953375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaoiyia/pseuds/kaoiyia
Summary: “Who is it?” Edelgard asks, her smile wide enough to expose her teeth. Dimitri’s eyes jump between her and his phone. He does the dumbest thing possible, spurred on by Edelgard’s twinkling gaze and his trembling fingers.“Nobody.”Edelgard opens her mouth, but the sudden silence startles her. A relieved exhale is building up behind Dimitri’s pinched lips. A jarring beep cuts through the silence like a dagger. For a few seconds, nothing but rustling comes from the speakers.“Hey Dima, it’s Claude.”This is it. This is the end.Edelgard discovers Dimitri's secret relationship.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & Edelgard von Hresvelg, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 45
Kudos: 260
Collections: FE3H Siblings Week





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! There are two things I'm really passionate about:
> 
>   1. Dimiclaude 
>   2. Edelgard and Dimitri having a tender and loving sibling relationship
> 

> 
> I haven't uploaded anything in a long time, fighting your inner critic is hard sometimes, but I wanna try to say "fuck you I gonna upload this" more often in future. Also, I'm not a native speaker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! There are two things I'm really passionate about:
> 
>   1. Dimiclaude 
>   2. Edelgard and Dimitri having a tender and loving sibling relationship
> 

> 
> I haven't uploaded anything in a long time, fighting your inner critic is hard sometimes, but I wanna try to say "fuck you I gonna upload this" more often in the future. Also, I'm not a native speaker. 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this fic!

Elliot’s meow greets him when Dimitri opens the door to Edelgard’s apartment. “Hello there,” he murmurs and crouches downwards. Elliot meows again.

“Dimitri, is that you?” Edelgard’s voice sounds distant, accompanied by soft clacking.

Dimitri scrambles back onto his feet, “Yes, it’s me, apologies!”

He takes off his blue coat and follows Elliot through the stark corridor into the living room. Edelgard sits at the white, wooden table, white, pale skin glistering in the light. Her hands rest on her lap, over the bright, velvet fabric of her favorite dress. A smile, warm as sunlight, rests on her lips, “Dimitri, it’s good to see you.”

Dimitri smiles back and takes his seat across from her. The seat cushion is warm; Dimitri throws Elliot an amused smile. He walks off to the tall windows to their right. Edelgard lifts the white china bowl and puts it next to his cup, “I brought your favorite sweets.”

He raises his eyebrows, “When did you get to buy those?”

She looks outside, hair tickling her cheek, “Dedue brought them when he picked me up on Tuesday.”

“Oh, right,” he answers and takes his cup, guilt resting on his shoulders, “I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up.”

Edelgard smiles and takes a cookie, “It’s fine, I know you’re busy.”

“Still, I shouldn’t put those things above you, El.”

She nudges her bare foot against Dimitri’s clothed one, “Don’t worry about those things, Dimitri. Please.” He nods and takes a sip. Boiling hot the tea runs down his gullet and he grimaces. Edelgard chuckles. They spend the next few minutes talking about mundane things, feet resting against each other, and watching Elliot wallowing in the sunlight. It’s after a funny story about Sylvain getting an earful from Felix for staying up for too long and therefore, keeping him awake that Dimitri gathers all his courage to ask what’s burning on his tongue since he entered her apartment.

“How do you manage?”

Edelgard’s jaw tenses, the first gusty winds of the approaching storm. Dimitri bears her heavy stare, loaded with quiet pain and jarring memories. The storm draws near. Dimitri swallows.

“The wig... It itches, sometimes.”

Dimitri nods, eyes following the path of her head as it sinks. She stares down at her mug, her smile like a rippling of water on her lips. He bore the storm.

Edelgard’s hands clamp around her mug, veins like spilled ink on her hands, They shake, only a bit, but enough to cause ripples on the surface of her tea, “Hubert was surprisingly active this week.”  
“Oh?”

Her smile widens, “Yes, I’m certain the pain relievers are working.”

Dimitri sets down his mug, anticipation making his hands tremble, “That’s great.”

“I asked Ferdinand after the session was over, and he told me Hubert can go on brief walks with him now.”

The hope lacing her voice is soft, like a spring breeze stroking over wildflowers, tangling with the white clouds, dancing higher and higher. It allures him to lose himself in the thrilling sensation, obscure after so many years of despair. He reaches out and his fingers are cold against Edelgard’s hot ones. They curl around each other, running over familiar ridges and scars. Edelgard’s hands lost their strength years ago when her hair started falling and the tempest in her eyes flared up. Recently, her fingers started twitching, pining for more than to lay in Dimitri’s hands and to brush over white bedsheets. Dimitri let her go, watching her uncurling her wings, slowly but steadily.

Silence drapes over them like a thick blanket. Elliot rubs against Dimitri’s legs, purring softly. The click of the teapot drags Dimitri’s eyes upwards. His meet hers through the steam of her new poured tea.

“How are you?” she asks, voice soft like silk.

Dimitri swallows. There are many possible answers to that question. He could say ‘good’ but Edelgard wants to know more, wants to know all the nifty details instead of this horrible excuse of a lie. Dimitri swallows again.

“Therapy is going well,” he says after a small eternity. Elliot blinks twice. He takes that as a good sign.

Edelgard hums, “Are you getting along well with your new therapist?”

He nods at his cup of tea. The hot steam tickles his cheeks. “He’s not a huge talker, he lets me talk most of the time.” Dimitri just needs to look at Edelgard to see her silent question, _‘Does it scare you?’_

It does. It’s a bottomless pit, a black hole, gaping and wide, waiting for Dimitri to stumble and to fall down. Getting lost in its depths, trapped with his memories and nightmares that greet him welcome like old friends just like every single night.  
But there’s a light to the black hole, still far out of reach but Dimitri can see it, sense it on his body like a promise.

Edelgard squeezes his hand, “I’m glad.”

Dimitri squeezes back, “I’m glad, too.”

The ring of his phone interrupts the silence between them.

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri stutters, hurried hands pulling it out of his pocket. The name flashing on the display sends a crimson blush on his cheeks. Edelgard’s chuckle drowns in the roars of his blood in Dimitri’s ears. His phone vibrates, sealing his premature death out of embarrassment. Elliot meows.

“Who is it?” Edelgard asks, her smile wide enough to expose her teeth. Dimitri’s eyes jump between her and his phone. He does the dumbest thing possible, spurred on by Edelgard’s twinkling gaze and his trembling fingers.

“Nobody.”

Edelgard opens her mouth, but the sudden silence startles her. A relieved exhale is building up behind Dimitri’s pinched lips. A jarring beep cuts through the silence like a dagger. For a few seconds, nothing but rustling comes from the speakers. 

“ _Hey Dima, it’s Claude.”_

This is it. This is the end.

“Who’s Claude?” Edelgard mouths and Dimitri whimpers. 

_"I just wanted to check on you because we didn’t see each other this week. Plus, I wanted to ask about date night; Lorenz needs some help with his fashion project on Friday, I gotta be the model, yay. So it would be great if we could go out on Saturday instead. My treat, of course.”_

A brief pause.

_"I miss you, stay safe, Mitya.”_

There’s a loud beep again and Edelgard raises her eyebrows, “I’m afraid a nobody would call you _Mitya_ , Dimitri. I do not think he’d invite you to a date, either, wouldn’t he?”

Dimitri avoids her look and stares down at his tea instead, “Uh... Well.”

“Well?”

Dimitri’s hands twitch; Edelgard’s voice is a dagger ramming into his chest, searing deep into his flesh until his deepest core. Her disappointment burns meaner than any flame ever could. 

“We met on campus, during orientation week” he starts, words tumbling out of his mouth, bare and vulnerable to her judgment, “He studies Chemistry and Philosophy, and...,” Dimitri stops, a memory so old and dear flashing through his head. 

Claude- No, Khalid’s hair tousled by a late summer breeze, bright green eyes like emeralds under the afternoon sun, and a smile so dazzling it turned Dimitri’s knees to jelly.

Dimitri lifts his head, looks unwavering, “He is so dear to me, El.”

Edelgard stares back, face unmoving, Dimitri watches it burst, the mask of protectiveness and confusion, long cracks revealing lines of curiosity and understanding. Edelgard is a raging storm, uncompromising but also a spring’s breeze, gentle and caring. It’s a tightrope walk, one Dimitri mastered years ago, but Khalid is the gust of wind that makes him waver.

“How is he like?”

Dimitri’s smile blooms under her question, his heart drumming against his ribs. The gusts turned to tender breezes, tickling Dimitri’s heart in the most delicious ways. Khalid’s laugh rushes through his soul, and Dimitri turns dizzy.

His gaze is unwavering, fixed on her curious eyes, “I’m afraid my words can not do him justice.”

Edelgard smiles; skin crinkling swaying around her eyes, “Could you bring him next time?”

Dimitri nods, “I would love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't want to miss **sneak peeks** and updates regarding my other works, feel free to follow my **[twitter](https://twitter.com/kaoiyia)**! I'd love to see you over there! ❤️
> 
> Thank you so much for your time, really. Please stay safe. 💗


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H-hello. Oh god, I'm so so sorry this is so late I feel so guilty oh god. I did everything but writing this chapter, idk I did a lot of different things. I'm so so so sorry ahh ;o;
> 
> I'm very insecure regarding the dialogue of this chapter but hey, better done than perfect. I'll do better next time. I like the descriptions tho! 
> 
> Thank you so much for helping me out, Manda and Meow! 
> 
> This chapter is for [soap](https://twitter.com/soppisopp) who's the best cheerleader there is (accept the praise). 
> 
> Happy Birthday, Claude! 💛 I'm so glad I'm part of the Dimiclaude fandom, I met the best people in recent fandom years here. 
> 
> This chapter describes the beginnings of a panic attack. Please read at your own discretion.

“Did you have fun with your sis?” Khalid says as he gets the bowls down the cupboard. 

Dimitri looks over his shoulder and watches him rocking forward on his toes. He smiles and puts the cutlery on the table. “Yes, it was nice, her cat is shedding right now,” Dimitri shifts the pan filled with kabsa further on the table and arranges the plates around it.

Khalid’s hand is a warm weight on his back as he appears behind him. He hums and sets the bowls down. “I’m glad they’re both okay, even though she’s cleaning the entire day now, apparently.”

They sit down and start to eat. The weight in his gut doesn’t vanish. Instead, it grows heavier with every passing minute, and the moment Khalid finishes his khubz dipped in tzatziki the dam bursts.

“I haven’t told her about you.”

Khalid looks up, eyes a fraction wider than normal. “Uh-”

But Dimitri interrupts him, shame boiling in his chest. “It’s not because I’m ashamed. It’s because-” he stops and watches his shaking fingers tangling into the loaf of khubz.

“She’s- no, she was very ill.”

His voice scratches in his throat and he swallows, desperate for relief. Dimitri doesn’t dare to look up, his heart is pounding in his chest, guilt drowning him as he imagines Edelgard’s disappointed face and Khalid’s reproachful voice.

‘I expected more of you.’

‘Why won’t you trust me, Dima, am I not enough?’

His vision blurs at its edges and his erratic heartbeat roars in his ears. Deep breaths, his therapist said, deep breaths would calm him down. Dimitri tries, but the fear pushes down his lungs, tying off his windpipe. For a quick moment, he feels like drowning.

There’s something touching his hand, something warm and soft. Dimitri looks down. Khalid’s hand is smaller than his, but he still makes Dimitri’s look tiny in his. Suddenly, there’s humming and Dimitri’s current situation crashes down on him like a bucket of ice water.

He’s in the kitchen of Khalid’s apartment with the nice window front to the city. Paintings by Ignatz line the walls and Khalid wears his beautiful golden rings Hilda made him. They’re warm against Dimitri’s skin.

“Hey, Mitya.”

Dimitri swallows against the lump in his throat. Khalid’s voice is a faint melody that strokes over his skin like summer rain. 

“You’re okay, I’m here.”

Dimitri’s knees are shaking when Khalid helps him up. He guides him to the huge couch in Khalid’s living room and they sit down next to his fat cat. Azhar doesn’t even look up. 

He doesn’t know how long he needs until his breath turns normal again and he stops clenching his hands around a shred of Khalid’s shirt.

“I’m sorry.”

Khalid tilts his head down and presses his lips against Dimitri’s head. “Don’t be, Mitya.”

Dimitri presses his face against Khalid’s chest. “She asked if you wanted to meet her.”

For a split second, Khalid stops stroking his back as if he needs to think. He presses another kiss on Dimitri’s hair. “Do you want that?”

Dimitri nods.

Khalid resumes his stroking and chuckles into Dimitri’s hair. Azhar meows and presses her head against Dimitri’s thigh.

“We’ll do that, then.”

* * *

“Are you really comfortable coming with me?” Dimitri asks for the tenth time after he turned off the motor. Khalid nods, staring at the tall trees lining the sandy paths through the park. Dimitri frowns and lays his hand on Khalid's thigh. “I know this is hard,” he starts and Khalid lowers his head, eyes dropping on Dimitri's fingers. Dimitri squeezes a bit for good measure. “Please don't feel forced to do this with me,” he murmurs, caressing Khalid's skin through his torn jeans.

Khalid raises his hand and its weight is so achingly familiar as he lays it over Dimitri's. Dimitri's heart flutters when Khalid interlaces their fingers. He doesn't look at Dimitri and his voice is summer rain on Dimitri's skin. “This is important to me.” His fingertips trail up Dimitri's hand, wrapping around it, and lifting it to his lips. Dimitri’s entire body shivers when Khalid's lips touch the back of his hand.

“I want to get to know you, Dimitri. Everything you have to offer.” His words caress his skin like a faint melody and Dimitri nods, goosebumps chasing over his skin.

“I'd love that.”

The park is bursting with children and families on blankets. Khalid swings their interlocked hands between them while watching around. Suddenly he starts giggling and tugs on Dimitri's hand. “Oh god, look, one of them is trying to feed a duck with a whole loaf.”

Dimitri turns his head and is exposed to the radiance of Khalid's smile. Khalid points at another group of children and Dimitri chuckles when he sees one of them holding an entire loaf in their tiny hands, trying to smash it into the water. They watch their mom scurrying across the meadow, frantically waving her arms. The child giggles and the bread falls down on the ground.

“He reminds me of one of my sisters,” Khalid says and sways their hands between them.

“Oh, really?”

Khalid nods and his eyes sparkle while he tells one of his many family stories that Dimitri adores. He only started telling them after he had told Dimitri his actual name. Warmth spreads through Dimitri's entire body knowing that Khalid trusts him. 

Khalid finishes his story just when they arrive at the ice cream stall. Dimitri's body is shaking from laughter by the time the person before them pays.

“I'm not kidding, it really happened!” Khalid grins and Dimitri hums. 

“Yeah, I can imagine.”

The girl at the stall is tiny; her chin doesn't even reach above the counter. She has long green hair and a kind smile. Dimitri gets El's favorite ice cream and vanilla for himself. 

The sun reflects on the pond as they cross the bridge to the Japanese themed part of the park, and Khalid looks on on his ice cream cone for the twentieth time.

Dimitri laughs. “You can't be that hungry.”

Khalid looks possibly offended, but the smile on his lips is an honest one. “It's not about being hungry, Dima, but about the prospect of tasty pistachio  ice cream.”

Dimitri rolls his eyes, “Oh, of course,”

They get closer to the part where El usually sits, near the red maple and the Koi pond. Dimitri swallows and not a second later, Khalid's shoulder bumps into his one. “You okay?”

Dimitri hums weakly, and watches his feet. “It's just-” he looks up, eyes wavering. “I'm a bit afraid.”

Khalid nods, “I get that, but I'm sure we'll do amazing. Remember that one time at the bubble tea shop?”

Dimitri snorts, memories of a furious Khalid arguing with some sexist old man while Dimitri had comforted the poor girl the man was harassing.

"You're right, El is nice after all.”

Khalid grins, “Of course she is, she's your sister."

Dimitri swallows and stops under the shadow of a giant oak. "I don't want you to think it's because of you."

Khalid stops as well and his smile falls, replaced by a concerned gleam in his eyes. "Why would I think that?"

Dimitri licks his upper lip and his hands are shaking when he looks into Khalid's eyes. "It's just," he looks down on his shoes, "I'm afraid you won't like her and she might not like you, and then we're stuck at awkward dinners where you pretend to like each other because-"

Khalid's hand is frosty against Dimitri's overheated cheeks. "Hey," he murmurs and tilts Dimitri's head down until their eyes meet.

"It's going to be alright, okay, Mitya? I don't know why I should dislike the sister of the man I love."

Dimitri inhales, air tumbling through his chest. There's something sharp tickling at the corners of his eyes and only when Khalid coos and wipes something wet away, he realizes that he's crying. His tears are sparkling on Khalid's thumb.

"Thank you, Khalid," he whispers, leaning his forehead against Khalid's. Khalid hums and breathes a kiss on Dimitri's lips.

"Any time, Dimitri."

* * *

Edelgard sits at the koi pond and throws little pellets into the water. She's sitting with their back to them, white hair curled up in a bun. Her pale skin gleams like pearls in the sun and in this moment, she looks like a fairy as she sits there, feeding the fish.

Dimitri clears his throat, “Hello El.”

She turns around and the rose tint of her cheeks sends dopamine soaring through Dimitri's veins. Her smile is tender and tentative when she recognizes them, hand lifted over her eyes to see them better.

“Hello, Dimitri.”

Khalid- no, Claude's hand goes limp in Dimitri's, attempting to let go, but Dimitri squeezes it for a split second. Claude squeezes back a few seconds later.

Her eyes wander towards Claude. Her smile grows a fraction wider. “And you're Claude?”

Claude nods and circuits the bench. Dimitri watches El as she stands up, her white dress with the crimson red flowers fluttering around her. She shakes hands with Claude, white fabric against bronze skin, and Dimitri's heart thunders in his chest.

“You got ice cream?” she asks, turning towards Dimitri who rushes around the bench. “Uh, yes, here!” he says and hands her the cone with coffee ice cream. El beams.

“That's very kind, thank you so much.” she leans towards him while Dimitri leans down, in perfect sync to allow her to press a kiss on his cheek. He presses one back when she let go of him.

For a short while, they watch the Kois in the pond as they're swayed around by the stream. Suddenly, Claude gasps, and El and Dimitri watch him as he stands up and sneaks towards the pond.

“Oh, you're a cute one, aren't you?” he says as one Koi, golden markings swirling over the entirety of its body, turns his head from the water towards Claude. El leans forward, her red ballerina scratching over the sand as she stretches out her hand that holds the fish food.

Claude takes it with a smile and a wink. El chuckles.

They watch Claude talking to the fish, getting more and more surrounded by the other ones as he feeds them. Claude's ice cream threatens to spill over his hands all the time, but he manages to avoid it every single time.

“It's surprising how much he notices,” El suddenly says, voice soft as silk. Dimitri hums but Claude turns around before he's able to answer.

“I learned that early on when I began with archery.”

“You're an archer?”

Claude laughs at her surprised face and straightens up. “I'm in my university's team, it's been my hobby since I was a kid.”

El nods and leans forward, resting her chin on her hands. “How did you get in touch with it?”

Claude hums, sitting down next to them again, “How's about this, I tell you about my archery beginnings and you tell me about your paintings.”

She gasps and swirls around to Dimitri, who raises his hands in mock defeat. “What did you tell him?”

“Only that you like to draw.”

El slumps back against the backrest of the bench, and a sigh heaves through her chest. “You were bound to find out at some point, anyway.”

Claude raises his eyebrows as he plops down next to El again, “I didn't know you considered me a more permanent partner of your brother.”

She at Claude while her hand wanders down. It wraps around Dimitri's who returns the gentle squeeze. “Dimitri is a romantic at heart, so I doubt he'd leave you.”

There's the challenging glint in Claude's eyes Dimitri fell in love with all those months ago, mint turning emerald. “Who said he'd be the one who leaves me?”

Dimitri chuckles when Edelgard raises her chin, “If you did that, you'd prove yourself to be dumb and free of any taste.”

Claude falls silent, and they just stare at each other, fighting a quiet battle between them. Claude is the first one to lean back, his smile honest and wide.

“You're a force to be reckoned with, Edelgard.”

El huffs, “I'm glad I could leave a satisfying expression.”

Claude's laugh is deep and rumbles through Dimitri's chest like distant thunder. “You two are really siblings, your ‘I am annoyed as hell’ expressions are the same!”

Dimitri smiles, “That is to be expected; we might not have spent a lot of time together as children but surely in recent years.”

El nods, stroking the back of Dimitri's hand with her thumb. “You're right, you always-” she stops, wetting her lips, searching after the fitting words, “You were always there,” she concludes, and Dimitri raises her hand to his lips and presses his lips against its back.

He gets up and smiles at them, “I'll get something to drink.”

* * *

Claude and Edelgard watch Dimitri disappearing behind the maple trees. Silence settles on their shoulders and Claude stares at the pond.

Edelgard shifts next to him, her snow-white gloves glint in the setting sun. Orange streaks line the sky and Claude exhales.

“Did he tell you-”

“No.”

Edelgard strokes over the creases of her dress, and he sees her swallow. The sunlight dances on her white strands of hair. 

“Dimitri helped me a lot. I’m very thankful.”

Claude nods. The water burbles in the pond, the sound like a cocoon around them.

Edelgard’s eyes are drowning in overwhelming love, softness swirling around her black irises. Khalid feels like he’s drowning, and perhaps he is. Suddenly, he feels small, insignificant next to Edelgard and her love for Dimitri.

They seem to be everything the other needs. What could he possibly do differently?

“I know Dimitri is insecure, and he feels guilty.”

Her voice is like a knife between them and Claude’s jaw drops down, but his silver tongue is failing him, leaden in his mouth.

“I-”

Edelgard takes his hand. Her hand is like glass in his, and he’s afraid of curling his fingers around it. The fabric of her glove is silken on his skin. 

“I can’t explain how much my heart rejoices to know that Dimitri is not alone anymore.”

He swallows and strokes the back of Edelgard’s hand with his thumb. “I’m very glad he allows me to be with him.”

Edelgard’s smile is blinding, and Claude almost chokes on the late summer air. “I wish you nothing but the best, Claude.”

He looks down, his vision growing misty. He squeezes Edelgard’s hand and watches the Kois swimming around each other in the pond.

“You too, Edelgard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with this story, it has a very special place in my heart! 
> 
> **If you want to support this work and me, you can:**   
> 
> 
>   * leave kudos / a comment
>   * subscribe to this work or to [my account](https://ao3.org/users/kaoiyia)
>   * [Follow me on twitter](https://twitter.com/kaoiyia) if you want to see wips of my works or drabbles I write in my downtime 💗
> 

> 
> Stay safe and be kind. 💖


	3. Additional content

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some difficulties with this chapter because I planned it to go differently first.
> 
> I wanted Claude and Dimitri to pick up Edelgard from her support group but I felt like that might have been to private for a first meeting. 
> 
> Edelgard doesn't really like to tell people that she's a cancer survivor and I think Claude would feel highly uncomfortable in such a situation. 
> 
> **This didn't undergo in-depth editing so it might lack in quality. However, I thought you might enjoy it either way!**

Khalid gives the receptionist a friendly smile when they enter, but Dimitri sees the unease swirling just beneath its surface. He slows down and stretches out his hand. Khalid's shoulders drop only a bit, but it's enough for Dimitri to know that he's okay. They walk close to each other, down the long hallways and through the sun fluttering through the enormous windows. Dimitri knows the way, better than he'd like. The staff knows him as well, a few of them even greet him when they pass by.

“Oh, did you bring someone today?” Manuela asks from behind the counter when they enter the waiting room. Dimitri nods, and Khalid brushes his thumb across his hand, “Yes, this is Claude, my boyfriend.”

Claude nods as a greeting, smile less made-up as before, “I hope I'm not intruding on anything?”

Manuela grins and clasps her hands together, “No, of course not! It's always nice to get to know more parts of a patient's family! You can go right through. Their session ended just a few moments ago.”

“Thank you, have a good day.”

* * *

They stop in front of the white door and Dimitri turns around. Manuela can't see left the desk a few moments ago so Dimitri doesn't hesitate to take Khalid's hand in his.

“Are you really okay?”

Khalid smiles, “Yes, Dimitri, let's do this.”

Dimitri nods, eyes sunken deep into the emerald green of Khalid's.

“If you feel uncomfortable-”

“Just tell me, yes I know.” Khalid completes his sentence with a smile and a roll of his eyes.

“I'm just worrying.”

“Yeah, I know baby, it's fine.”

Dimitri nods and knocks. There’s some shuffling on the other side before the door opens, revealing a youthful woman, not much older than them. Dimitri's eyes trace the arch of her jaw and the locks of grass-green hair. She must be the new doctor El told him about.

“Hello, Mr...”

“Blaiddyd and Riegan.”

The doctor's eyes widen in recognition and she makes and inviting arm gesture, “You're here to pick up Edelgard, right?”

Dimitri nods while they enter the room. She smiles and points to a door at the end of the hallway, “I suppose you know the way.”

“Better than my way home,” Dimitri answers.

* * *

There are a lot of people in the room, more than usual Dimitri gives Ferdinand and Dorothea, who stand close to Hubert. He looks a bit paler, well, paler than usual, but there's a faint smile on his lips. The youngest among them is Lysithea if Dimitri recalls correctly. She's staring at her phone with the red-haired girl that's always wearing goth clothes. She's a bit weird but nice. Jeritza still sits on one of the chairs arranged in a circle, and Dimitri's eyes fly to the clock on the wall. Mercedes rarely comes late. Next to Jeritza sits Edelgard, and her face lights up when she sees them. She says something to Jeritza, who faintly smiles and stands up.

“Hello, Dimitri, Hello, Claude,” she says when she comes close, her red denim jacket neatly folded in her arms. Dimitri leans down to hug her, “Hello, El.”

She stretches out her hand and Khalid's engulfs hers like a blanket. “Nice to meet you,” he says, and his smile is earnest. Dimitri's heart flutters.

“I can only say the same about you,” El replies, eyes sparkling, “Should we go?”

_A car drive would have followed with Claude and Edelgard in the backseat and Dimitri driving. I like the park scene more, though!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, for real this time, that's it! I don't have anything else for this story **but** I would like to write more about this AU if I get the chance.
> 
> Would you want that? Let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this, consider leaving kudos or a comment! <3 Buckle up for part two, which should be uploaded on May 7th (hopefully).
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/kaoiyia)


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